A failed Experiment
by abs-walkers-12
Summary: Cleo Stark is Tony Stark's daughter, an experiment out of pure curiosity. It went wrong and he dumped her with Fury. Now he has to work with his daughter. Can she forgive him?
1. Chapter 1

"For years she's been kept inside. She doesn't know anything about the outside world." I hear. "She's dangerous." I watch the door open but stay still on my bed. If you could call it that. It's just a metal bed that clings to the wall by chains. "Morning Cleo."  
"Morning Fury." I reply. "Has my father come?" I ask.  
"Not yet. Don't fret, he will."  
"I doubt that. My good for nothing father has never come to see me. Not once." I stay sitting, just staring at him.  
"James, this is Cleo Stark." Nick Fury introduces me to the man beside him. "Cleo, this is James."  
"I guessed." I fold my arms across my chest.  
"Cleo, play nice."  
"I don't know how to. I'm not sure how to deal with the outside world." I say sarcastically. "I'm not sure how to play well with others."  
"You have training. Get your stuff, and follow us up. She's all yours." Nick leaves me with James-what's-his-face. I take the leathery suit from on top of the bed chains and stare at him.  
"Well I can't get changed in front of you." I say. He sighs and turns around. I change into the suit and face him. "Done."  
"What is that?" He takes my arm and pushes up the sleeve revealing my birth mark. A burn, that's what I call it. My birth burn.  
"My Birth mark." I assure him. He shows me the way to a training suite.

Turns out, I really can't make friends. I end up tackling nearly everyone who tries to stop me tackling them. I'm told I'm fast and strong. "I told you she was what we need." Nick says.  
"What about her father? We could team them up."  
"Never. I'd rather kill myself."  
"Her father, when he created her, left her to us."  
"She has daddy issues?"  
"He is not my father. I have no father, I'm an failed experiment."  
"You let her talk about herself this way?" Fury shrugs.  
"She'll get over it. Your working with Tony Stark whether you like it or not. The fate of the world is depending on it."  
"Why can't we just let it die? I'm sure there are plenty of other ones."  
"Other worlds? I don't care how much you hate your father. Your working with him. Someone find Tony Stark. Now. Get ready."


	2. Chapter 2

"I told you I wasn't working with him." I stare at Fury and the other guy, James, with my arm crossed.  
"Nice to see you too sweetie." Tony Stark grins at me.  
"Don't talk to me." He reaches for my shoulder. I swat him away. "Or touch Me."  
"Feisty." He mutters.  
"Look, Cleo, you just have to be nice for a little while." James says.  
"I'm sorry, that's not possible."  
"Look, kid, I don't want to be here either. I'd rather be cruising along, happy with my life. You think I want to see your face?" He pins me to the wall. I struggle but he's too strong for me. "Now, listen, the quicker we can get this over with, the quicker we can go our separate ways." I struggle once more.  
"Get off me." I moan.  
"Do you get me?" I nod.  
"Yes, Mister Stark." I mumble.  
"Now, do what he says." He lets me go and I rub my arm, trying to get rid of the pain of the fast forming bruise. I didn't realise he was that strong. I thought it was Iron Man who had the strength.  
"So what is that you need us for?" I ask Fury.  
"The Avengers need you both. Since, you tried to escape last time," Fury begins. "We thought Cleo could be trained by you? Your still welcome, but your daughter is..."  
"Younger, faster..."  
"But not stronger." James finishes. "She has that only flaw."  
"Hello? I'm here..."  
"Shut up, Sit down and do your nails."  
"Sorry, Dad of the year, I'm not that kind of girl." I stay standing, with my arms crossed.  
"You could get her trained to your level...or higher."  
"So what your saying is that I'm getting old and I'm getting thrown out."  
"No, they're saying they don't want traitors who leave little girls on pavements." I shoot at him.  
"Like your perfect."  
"At least I don't create children in a laboratory! You sick..."  
"Don't even try to finish that sentence." He narrows his eyes at me. "I created you out of curiosity. It was supposed to be a full grown man. But Hulk smashed up your container before I could change you." I snort in disgust.  
"Gee, thanks. Where's his mug, he's the best Dad in the world. Like seriously. Let's get him a medal." I clap sarcastically.  
"When are the rest of them getting here?" James asks Fury, ignoring us.  
"Soon..." Just then a grey craft carrier zooms into view through the windows. I run to the glass and press my face up to it, eager to see the Avengers.


	3. Chapter 3

"So this is the Avengers?" I ask Fury. He nods. "A frozen soldier, psychopathic scientist, Don't have a clue who that one is, or that one, and then there's the woman with red hair." I say.  
"And this is the kid? Stark's kid, obviously." The guy with a crossbow mutters.  
"This is Cleo." Fury tells them. "She's been told to play nice."  
"I never made any promises."I mumble.  
"I never once thought you'd have a kid, Tony." The woman says. "She's kinda cute, I like her."  
"Look, I'm not his daughter, and any thoughts that I am-or ever will be-should be stomped on now. Because that is the last thing I Am."  
"Cleo, that's what you called her?"  
"Well I had to, didn't I? You smashed up the experiment before it finished." Stark rolls his eyes at the psychopathic scientist.  
"That wasn't me." He shouts.  
"Oh hell no, you're getting him...angry...when does he turn green? I wanna see that...that's cool."  
"Shut up. She's just an experiment? How could you be so stupid as to..." The frozen guy starts.  
"You do realise you're talking about father of the year right? The idiot made a lab daughter then dumped her onto another lab. Did you get your medal, Daddy?" I finish sarcastically.  
"No, it got lost in the post, just like your brain." He shoots back.  
"Oh yeah, you forgot to put that in your super-computer of a 'daughter'."  
"Will you two shut up?" Fury shouts. "Your all here for a reason!"  
"We know, they got the..."  
"Don't Cleo!" I stay silent. "Your all here because there's something that's getting out of control over in England. A 'zombie' attack. But the thing is, Cleo isn't trained. You have three days to train her, that's when they say it's going to die down. I refuse to send her without training and until her brain is on speaking terms with her mouth, I doubt that will be possible. Now, Cleo, you have a choice, either work with them and you can be part of the Avengers. Or..."  
"Or what?"  
"You can stay in your cosy cell for the rest of eternity and rot in there."  
"You are so nice."  
"You have to make a decision."  
"I'll get trained. I don't fancy the thought of rotting..." I tell him. "I'll behave." I promise.


	4. Chapter 4

We start training that afternoon. I stand in the middle of the circle they've created, looking childish in my leather suit and boots. The guy with the crossbow backs off and they follow.

Suddenly, I hear a bow whiz past me. I dodge it with ease. I'm then tackled by the woman. She just stares at me as I try to push her off. I manage it but then I'm forced to dodge a metallic shield. After that, a hammer which pins me to the floor. I pick it up but then drop it and collapse to the floor. "Please..." I groan.  
"Up! You think this is a walk in the park?" Stark shouts.  
"No, Please..." I moan, turning onto my side.  
"Up!" He shouts. "C'mon princess." I dig my fingernails into the flooring and use it to stumble to my stance. I spit out a little blood from where the shield slapped me in the mouth and stare at Tony Stark. Iron Man. He's not Tony. He's Iron Man. I charge at him but he moves out of the way. "You'll have to do better than that, sweetie." I take a deep breath. I send a kick flying his way. He stumbles a little but not far. I flip and tackle him to the floor. I raise a fist to his face. "Someone get her off me?" I'm hoisted up by the Shield guy. "She's not too bad."  
"Not too bad? She whooped you...had you on the ground."  
"I know."  
"She's amazing."  
"Watch she might start frothing in a minute." Iron Man says.  
"Shut up." I tell him.

Hours later, I'm wandering again. I go to walk through one door but stop and pin myself to the wall beside it. "I can't do this." It's Stark. "I can't be near her."  
"Why?" Fury asks.  
"She reminds me of everything I've done. When I see her, I see that night. The night Hulk smashed up the glass, the baby basket I put on the door. I can't do it."  
"Tony, you have to. If she doesn't get trained then that virus can reach the whole world."  
"I don't care. I can't do this."  
"So you're backing away because of the fact that YOU did this?" I shout. I'm trembling with anger.  
"No."  
"How could you? This is your fault! You did this! You made me! Now you're giving up...again?" I swing for him and my punch sends him stumbling.  
"Yes. I am." He answers. I punch him again.  
"How could you? How dare you?" I scream. I pick up the nearest thing I could find and throw it at him. "Leave! Go on! I don't need you! I can do this on my own!"


	5. Chapter 5

I sit cross-legged on the metal mattress with the wall chains. A knock comes from the door but I ignore it. "Open up Princess..."  
"Go away." I tell them.  
"It's only Green Guy..."  
"I don't care." I shout back. The door opens up and he comes in.  
"Why aren't you training? You know it's going to take longer if you don't practice..."  
"I know."  
"You had an argument with your Dad, didn't you?" He sits on the bed beside me.  
"He is _not_ my Dad!" I protest.  
"Yeah, yeah."  
"Why did you do it?" I ask him.  
"Do what?"  
"Smash up his experiment?"  
"I didn't..."  
"Yeah, yeah...why did he do it then?" I rephrase.  
"Because it was wrong. I didn't like seeing it, it made me mad. To see a little baby in a bubbling container. You should've been with a loving family. Not in a container waiting to be changed into a man."  
"Yeah, thanks...What did you expect to happen after to smashed me up?"  
"I don't know. Some part of me hoped you'd...just shrivel up and die. The other, I wanted to think you were still human. That you could lead a normal life with a family and a pet."  
"And when I couldn't?"  
"I made Stark take you here."  
"So you thought this was the best place for me?"  
"No, I thought this was the safest."  
"So the best?" He shrugs.  
"I've known Fury for years, I knew he'd keep you safe."  
"You did what you thought was best. And that was taking me to another lab. I was tested on from a young child. I longed to leave. I wanted a family. They hurt me, in ways you couldn't imagine!"  
"I had no idea he would do that." He shakes his head.  
"I was harmed physically from the day I was brought here. I was put close to death more times than you've had hot dinners! How dare you tell me this was the _best_ place for me!"  
"Calm down."  
"No I will not! I refuse to calm down! You can't tell me to calm down! You have no idea how much I've been through!"  
"Yes I do!" He shouts. "If you think for one second I don't know what you've been through, you are so wrong! I thought about it every single day for the past thirteen and a half years! I thought how wrong I was! I'm sorry Cleo, but if you want to survive in this team, you have to make friends and not enemies!" He stands up and leaves. "Because we need you in this team. You and your father."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, I find that Tony Stark didn't leave at all; in fact he sits outside of my door cross-legged grinning. I trip over him on the way out. "What are you doing?" I shout.  
"I wanted to say morning."  
"By trying to break my leg?"  
"Yes, I mean no; I wanted to see how...er alert you were." He stands up.  
"Well I'm not very alert."  
"Well you should be. It's not like zombies are going to be slow."  
"Yes they are. You moron."  
"Is that anyway to speak to your adoring father?"  
"No. It's a way to speak to a stupid, idiotic, crazy person. AKA Tony Stark." I spit.  
"Why are you so grumpy?" He asks.  
"I'm not a morning person." I tell him. He follows me into the 'kitchen'. It's just a dinner hall really, but it seems homier to call it a kitchen. I grab the toast from the toaster and take a bite out of it.  
"Take it from me. I normally have a hangover." He admits. "Where's the coffee?" I point to the machine. He wanders off and Green Guy comes in.  
"Morning." I mutter, taking another bite of toast. "Are your anger levels rising? Or did Anger Management work this time?" He stares at me.  
"How didn't I turn into...him...?" He shakes his head.  
"Don't ask me. I just provoke." I grin.  
"You're just like him." He rolls his eyes at Tony Stark.  
"I'm nothing like that traitor." I spit.  
"Yeah, yeah." He smiles. "Look, I told you to make friends, not enemies, right?" I nod. "Thor, he's good for that. Go talk to him." I nod and make my way over to him. My blue pyjamas match his hammer. They glitter across the marble floor.  
"Hi." I smile and sit beside him.  
"Hello puny human." He mutters.  
"I'm not human. I'm an experiment." I protest. "But, I was told to be nice and make friends. I need someone to watch my back."  
"And you thought of the Demi-god? Thanks, I'm flattered."  
"No need for sarcasm. Just, you have a pretty hammer." I joke. He laughs. "So do you have my back?" I ask.  
"Who said I didn't?" He smiles.

I mentally list that he's a friend. If I could just make one more friend...but that's never been my speciality, has it? But I have to make more. I smile at the frozen guy. "Hi." I say.  
"What do you want?" He asks.  
"Nothing much, just a promise." I smile.  
"What?"  
"I want to know that you have my back. I want a friend."  
"And Frozen Guy is good enough to be your friend?" He says sarcastically.  
"I think you have a nice shield..." I joke. "I think red, blue and white suit you."  
"You know, Cleo, there's been something that's bothering me...what is your power?"  
"My power?"  
"What makes you super human?"  
"Oh...well, I...er...I don't know. I don't remember. Fury won't tell me."  
"You seem fast. And strong."  
"But that's not a super power. Is it?" He laughs.  
"You don't have a clue, do you?" I shake my head. "That's why you need me watching your back? Right now it looks pretty...clean." I roll my eyes but he laughs again. "Okay, I've got you. Don't worry..." I smile at him.


	7. Chapter 7

I stand beside Tony Stark as he goes through the things that I need to do. "So, what does this button do?" I ask out of curiosity, my finger almost pressing the big black button.  
"That self-destructs." He swats my hand away. "You don't touch that."  
"I guessed." I mutter. "Hey, I have a question."  
"What?" He sounds agitated.  
"If Hulk didn't like the experiment, why didn't he adopt me?" I say.  
"You cry at night, anger him, your smashed to pieces. We both would've done bad things." He says. I nod. "Now, you touch that button to activate the shield. Have a try." I push the little blue button and a shield forms around me. An invisible shield. Cool. "And this one activates your weapons." I push the other one and find a gun in my hand.  
"You trust me with a gun?"  
"No, I need to change that." He smiles.  
"What do you mean? I'll cry at night and anger him."  
"All babies cry. Don't tell me you haven't cried." I shrug.  
"Sometimes I used to cry because the kids used to make fun of me. I was different."  
"No, Cleo, your special." He tilts my chin up and smiles.  
"No. I'm a freak."  
"Keep telling yourself that and see how freaky you end up. I'm talking about zombie bites and all that." I gulp. "Have faith in yourself."  
"I do. It's you who I don't trust or have faith in trusting."  
"Who said anything about trust? Your my daughter, whether you like it or not, you look a little like me, you act like me. Cleo, your mine." I shake my head.  
"No. I don't have a father." His face turns to shock. "All those years I was alone in that cell and you couldn't help me! You didn't come to say if I was alive. I was dead to you."  
"For a while, yes. You were. And then I started to get curious again."  
"Yippee." I say sarcastically. "Why can't adopt me now?"  
"It's too late, you're needed. If he'd adopted you as a baby he could've pretended to Fury you weren't needed."  
"Oh. Why am I needed?" He shrugs.  
"I don't know. Try this on." He throws me a metallic suit.  
"This is like yours." I tell him.  
"No, it looks like mine, its safer."  
"How?"  
"More defence, and weaponry." I nod. It slips over my clothing secures itself.  
"It's fine. Hey, do I get a nickname? You know...like Iron Girl. Or Iron Cleo. I like that..."  
"Nope, kid you don't get out. You need to be nice for a name."  
"I know! Why don't you call me Clueless? Because I'm clueless of what my power is."  
"Why don't I call you Terry? That's what you should be called." I throw Tony a dirty look.  
"Bite me." I walk away, still wearing the suit.


	8. Chapter 8

I take a deep breath; we're on the helicopter, on our way to England. "Do you really think she's ready?" Hushed whispers come from beside me; Stark and Bruce (Green guy) are speaking together like that, in hushed whispers like parents do when they talk about financial worries in front of their children.  
"No, she needs more training, I'll take care of her."  
"You mean like you did before?" Bruce whispers furiously.  
"You know that was an accident, you smashed her up."  
"You shouldn't have created her."  
"Guys, I can hear you." I whisper, its comical how they tried to make an effort to be quiet when I have the most sensitive ears ever. Stark and Bruce sigh. "I'll be fine, I'm trained enough."  
"Just stay close to me..."  
"Dad I don't need to."  
"You just called me Dad." Stark smiles, he's such a jerk.  
"Did I? I was talking to Bruce."  
"No you weren't, she called me Dad!" Stark started shouting.  
"Shut up, Stark." I snap.  
"You did call him Dad." Thor mutters.  
"You shut up too." I snap.  
"Someone's hormonal." I narrow my eyes at him.  
"You don't even know what that means."  
"And?" I shake my head and fidget with my fingers.  
"We're almost there, are you nervous?" The guy with the crossbow asks, I need to find out his name. I shake my head. "Don't be, you'll be fine, we've all got your back."  
"Thanks." I smile at him, the red haired woman smiles too.  
"So, what do you plan to do after this?" She asks me.  
"Die in a hole." I roll my eyes.  
"I mean it, Fury has no power over you now, now you're an Avenger."  
"He still controls me."  
"Not anymore, in fact we control you."  
"Yay." I smile sarcastically. "You mean parents of the year over there have complete control?"  
"Sort of."  
"Oh yay."  
"But not total control obviously, and you have to survive this mission."  
"How?"  
"You have us, you can survive." She looks so convinced, but I'm not so much. Hulk smashed me once, he could do it again and this time I'll feel it. Tony left me before, he can do it again. As for the rest, I believe them. They would have my back, they'd save me.


	9. Chapter 9

The air in England is cloudy and horrible. It stinks of decomposing bodies. Over turned cars and trucks line every street we can see from our safe, little, helicopter. My heart beat speeds up and my eyes dart around the helicopter. "Come on child." Thor grunts at me. He stands above me looking ready for war. Which, for all I knew, we could be entering.  
"Me?" I squeak. "I...I..."  
"Oh, kid, your not having second thoughts, are you?" Stark asks me. He's so arrogant. I shake my head at him.  
"Not at all, I hope you aren't, Stark."  
"Dad." He mocks. I roll my eyes and the door opens. I un-buckle my belt and follow Thor out.

We all stand in a circle around James. "So, your mission is simple, shut down the centre creating the deadly chemicals which are creating...that." We look over to see a crowd of purple...animals tearing up something. They moan and I try to cover my ears but my hands only bash the helmet. "The centre is just west of here, Cleo that's that way." He points to the west and I roll my eyes at him. "Now, suit up, Cleo." I gulp and, for once, do as I'm told. "Now have fun." He smiles. "I'll be in touch."

"Which way is the safest? You know...for-"  
"It doesn't matter, she'll stick with me and Bruce." Stark interrupts Black Widow. It's not Stark anymore, it's Iron Man.  
"No way."  
"You will, or I'll drag you personally back to Fury."  
I just nod. "So we just go in?"  
"Yes, Hulk!" Iron Man shouts to him. He turns his head and nods. "Cleo." Hulk just grins and scoops me up. I scream but in fact it's pretty cool, I mean not many girls my age can honestly say they've been hassled by the Hulk, can they?

He crushes the puny little zombie's as if they were toothpicks. Black Widow and Cross-bow guy fire at them widly but stay right behind us. I push the button and Hulk places his palm flat, allowing me to use it as a pedistool. A silver sleek gun forms in my hand and I fire between his giant green fingers. It's just so damn cool to be doing this. Just wait until the bullies hear about this. "Hulk! Other way!" The guy with the cross-bow screams at us. Hulk turns sharply and I start to lose my balance. My footing slips and I find myself tumbling downwards into the horrid moaning crowd below.


	10. Chapter 10

"Cleo!" I hear someone scream. I keep tumbling downwards in a spiral motion. Then I stop falling. "You idiot." It's Iron Man. He's caught me. I lay crumpled against his chest. I feel so weak and vunerable.  
"I'm sorry." I whisper. I don't know why I said that to him. It just makes me more vunerable and weak. He just nods.  
"C'mon! Everybody move quicker!" Frozen Guy screams. I notice he's been on the rooftops the whole time. Does he really think he's better than everyone else. Arrogant moron. "Not far now!" He shouts.  
"I'm running out of ammo!" Black Widow shouts.  
"Hey Iron Girl, press the green button, go down there and grab her."  
"What?" I ask.  
"Green button." Iron Man whispers. I push the little green button by my arm and plummet down towards Black Widow. I'm flying. I'm flying towards her. I'm FLYING.  
"Cleo!" She shouts. She grabs hold of my neck and I drop her off beside Frozen Guy. I follow Hulk and shortly we come to a towering plant.

The plant is massive with large black metallic gates. It's a dull grey colour. The dark clouds cover the tops of the building. Hulk sends a flying kick into the gates and they open with a loud metallic screech. The noise sends shivers down my spine and it makes my ears ache. He turns back and hurries us inside. Thor closes the gate and does some weird stuff to lock it. "Right, Cleo and Thor your with-" Iron Man begins.  
"No, Stark, we need Cleo with Thor. You need to be with Banner." Frozen Guy tells him.  
"She's not safe with-"  
"I'll make sure the puny child is safe." Thor lays a hand on Iron Man's shoulder and he backs away.  
"Fine. We meet back here in half and hour."  
"Agreed, Natasha you go with Hawk, I'll go with Banner and Stark."  
"If we get it shut down?" I ask them.  
"Then we use the walkie-talkies." I nod and follow Thor into the plant.


End file.
